


New People

by UnderMyCitadel



Category: The Rolling Stones
Genre: F/M, Multi, Rock Stars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-14
Updated: 2016-11-14
Packaged: 2018-08-30 22:16:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8551249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnderMyCitadel/pseuds/UnderMyCitadel
Summary: Mick introduces a perfect stranger his roommate. It'll take some warming up between the two of them before they are no longer...





	

The chill of the air seeped through my knit blanket and all I could think of was that goddamned radiator and how neither my flatmate or I had the funds to repair it. Mick should be good for at least half. With his band getting high and praise at the Marquee Club, he’d sure to come into some cash. ‘What’s the name again… The Stones, is it?’ My job barely handed out minimum wage so about ten paychecks would be able to get the job done. It was far beyond me how such an expensive restaurant could pay so little in wages. ‘I should quit’.

It wasn’t as important as lights of course so I stayed mentally complaining about the rooms feeling below sub zero. I snuggled into the blanket more, trying to get cozy on the couch just until I remembered that it was almost five thirty-six in the afternoon and I had the responsibility of keeping that minimum wage job of mine to pay my share of the rent this month.

I braced myself for the ripping cold of the floor before getting up and tiptoeing to my room- which had no carpeting by the way. ‘Do I really need this job?’ I wanted to die but that meant that the bills wouldn’t be tended to so I did my best to suck it up, contemplating life as I dressed for work. After putting on my uniform, out the door I went, trying to leave as quick as I could to come back as quickly as possible and escape the mid-November frost and into the warm blankets.

Conversation could be heard after I locked the door from the outside. I turned my head only to see the likes of Mick Jagger and a mystery man whom I haven’t seen before two seconds ago. They were dressed warmly in coats and scarfs. Fitting for the November chill outdoors.

“I’m not sure how I feel about the groove of it, man. Yeah- oh hey Barbara”, Mick greeted while rubbing his hands together. The mystery man with thin lips showed a modest smile that I didn’t much mind returning.

“Jagger. Beware going in, it feels like a blizzard in there”, I jokingly warned the two.  
Mick chuckled “Ain’t nothing. I rather like the cold”.

Again I glanced to the gentleman to his left who was currently jingling his keys in between his fingers, oblivious to the supposed conversation between Mick and myself. “You should get that radiator fixed…”, I mentioned once Mick was ready to unlock the door. My eyes eye still fixed on the gentleman who was still oblivious. “Yeah well”, said Mick as the man with him brought his head back up to stare at the door. “You should get the money for it. You’re out of your Jackrabbit-ass mind if you think I’m getting any cash from our gigs”. I busted out into laughter, he was such an asshole. Even cheekbones next to him couldn’t hold back his giggles. He was trying to embarrass me. That asshole. I wanted to get going already but some force was keeping me. I wanted to putter around the details of the mystery stud who Mick had with him this evening. He looked friendly enough and any person who hung around Mister Jagger would be bound to meet me sometime or another. We live together, it was inevitable.

“That flat really is a piece of shit, isn’t it?”

“Well, it’s our piece of shit I suppose. Hey, bring home dinner after work will ya?”, he reached to open the door as he added that last request.

I nodded. “Well aren’t you rude! We’ve been out here for five minutes and you haven’t even introduced me to your friend here”, I scolded Mick in mock hysteria. The gentleman peered my way, still facing Mick who looked off put by my sudden interest in his friends. From where he stood sideways I could make out a subtle grin dancing across his lips discreetly. Mick’s brows were knitting together as if things didn’t add up, and they shouldn’t have because this was most definitely a first. I was feeling rather outgoing which was out of my usual character. He stammered at once, finished trying to put two and two together, and introduced me to his friend.

“Um, Barbara, this is Keith. Keith, this is Barbara but you can call her Barbie if you fancy it. Keith is in that band you complain about all the time. The one that gives you all that ammunition to complain about my share of the rent, yeah? Keith plays guitar and, you know, things…”. Keith’s eyes met mine, causing me to break before he did. That smile of his was just grand. Made me want to know much more about him than just his guitar skills.

“Hello Barbie, the pleasure is all mine”, he took my hand, brought it to his lips and kissed it’s back tenderly. I blushed, nodding my head as if to agree and egg him on to go much further than I knew he intended on going at the moment. Peeking over at Mick, his attention was more on my expression than anything else because never did I find an interest in his friends any other time. I didn’t want Keith to let go of my hand, draw his lips away from my hand or even let go of it for that matter. But he was being a gentleman, and I could accept that although I did not want to.

“Hopefully Mick hasn’t already slandered my name. It would be a shame if we couldn’t get to know each other a bit better, now would it?”.

“I suppose…”

It was quiet for a good minute. Keith and I exchanged looks while Mick allowed us our moment no matter how much it made him consider suicide. I took my sweet time studying his features, his high cheekbones, his reckless hair. ‘I should have put on some makeup’, I thought. Maybe then I would at least look half decent. Maybe then Keith would think those same thoughts about me that I was of him, that is if he wasn’t already. That widened my eyes to a whole other world of possibilities of our future. Life flashing before my eyes, I had it all planned out. We’ll have a home my the Peer, have a nice, grand house, beautiful kids, and damn I’m overthinking it. I’d only just met the bloke and already I was picking out my China patterns. Ridiculous. What queer thoughts could I conjure up next?

Mick caved in at last, shattering our lovely little minute to smithereens before he could bring himself to put a gun to his head. “Alright then Babs, I guess we’ll see ya then”, he kissed my cheek with his chilled, thick lips before reaching for the doorknob. I wanted to be annoyed- and was on that path at first, but after a quick look at my cheap looking watch leaving didn’t sound like such a bad idea after all. “Oh shoot. Um, okay… Keith, it was real nice meeting you. If you’re still here after my shift we could talk some more”. I began to walk backward towards the staircase. “That sounds lovely Barbie. I’ll be sure to take extra long when deciding on whether true or blue rhymes best with you”, Keith winked and Mick rolled his eyes so far back into his head that the whites of his eyes turned red. I loved how he hated it. His annoyance brought just what we needed to cement our ‘brother-sister’ relationship. I’ll admit when we first moved in together about three years ago it started out as a fling sort of thing but over the years that dissipated and turned into what have you now.

“And maybe some alcohol to forget what the hell just happened here?”, he opened the door for his guest like a true gentleman. I nodded my head, knowing exactly what he would have asked for if he wasn’t so hell-bent on getting away from me.

“Alright, but only if you’ll bring home that stud more often”, I requested once I was certain Keith was out of the hall and couldn’t possibly hear me.

Mick closed his eyes, crossed his fingers, and held them high in the air. No more than three seconds after was his tongue stuck out at me and fingers formed to extenuate the one in the middle. ‘Real mature, Jagger’, I rolled my eyes. ‘ But it’s not nothing so I’ll take what I can get’.

With my house keys in hand, I waved before dancing down the steps leading to the lobby where I thought greatly of that man who strolled around with Mick so often come to think of it. “He’s in that band?”, I muttered to myself. Shrugging my shoulders, I dismissed it. I could always spare time to think of his cheekbones while I checked the reservation book, escorted customers to their four hundred dollar tables, and told them to enjoy their micro meals that were priced in the multi-millions. “Why haven’t I noticed it before?” ‘Oh yeah, that’s right. It’s because of the fuckin’ radiator and that bloody frost in the apartment’.

~

Working my shift was, gruesome to say the least. The people were rude to me and I was contemplating quitting the entire five hours of my shift. Soon, not soon at all, the work day came to a close and it was time to go home. If Mick had not asked me to pick up food on my way back then I would have forgotten about Keith and his lovely grin and cheekbones so high. The plan was to fantasize about the guy during my shift but by the time I reached the restaurant the haze completely faded away and I remembered that the workplace was a professional setting. If I wanted to fool around i would wait until after hours and have drinks with my girlfriends. Getting fired was the last thing I needed in the middle of November. It most certainly wouldn’t sound awesome to bring home that kind of news to a new gentleman that I have my eye on. Men don’t fancy that kind of women anymore and I most certainly will not be one of them.

I managed to retrieve some sandwiches from the kitchen of the restaurant. Only the best for Mister cheekbones. One of the cooks and I shared a common disdain for posh guests so she didn’t have any problems with letting it slide. However, the wine from the cellar in the basement was what I paid for. My boss would fire my ass if he ever found out that I stole one of his prized white wines. Again, getting fired in the middle of that bloody chill of November was the absolute last thing I needed. What I needed was to hurry home before Keith went home and I wouldn’t get the chance to pick his brain.

My heart raced almost as fast as I did up the stairs of the flat house. I knew that Mick and Keith were still inside because of the faint guitar bleeding through the door and out into the hall. I didn’t mind. As much as I gave him shit for it, I truthfully did enjoy the band’s music. That bluesy rock thing that they’ve got going on is good in my opinion and if they can enough publicity to perform for larger venues other than the marquee club they could make a name for themselves. I opened the door and walked in as casually as I could to hide the fact that I had just been running up about seven flights of stairs. I put down the two bags that held the sustenance then hung out in the kitchen area of our flat. I didn’t want to interrupt the jam session going on between the band members so I stayed and seated myself on one of the dining chairs and quietly absorbed the scene.

Keith was sitting Indian style on the floor of the living room strumming away on an acoustic guitar. The melody that was brought out was complex and fast but was not harsh in any way. Maybe a blues number or something similar. His eyes drooped and crinkled at the corners as he played- paying no attention to me whatsoever, but to the strings of the guitar. For all I knew he didn’t even know that I came into the flat and had been here for over three minutes. I could say the same for Mick because he too was hunched over a guitar strumming some blues song that was sounding more familiar as it continued.His brows drew together and eyelashes fluttered when looking at the strings. I concluded that he was trying to keep up with Keith who looked to be having no troubles with his instrument. Replace the guitar with a piano and I might have to change my opinion. So I just stayed at the table and watched and listened and enjoyed the song that distracted me from the briskness of the room.

“So what did ya think?”, Mick asked me out of the blue.

I widened my eyes and realized that the song had been over for a couple second and it was I who was left sitting with my hand in my head with a foolish grin plastered on my face. My cheeks blushed a nice shade of deep red and I struggled to collect myself from the state that consumed me for so long. I was especially embarrassed once I noticed the eyes that Keith were giving me. The look of contentment on his face made we want to hide behind my hair but I figured that it would make things more awkward than they needed to be.

“That was quite nice. That was…”

“Muddy Waters?”

“Yeah, that’s where I heard that from, I knew it sounded familiar. I really did like the way you too dolled it up.” I could feel that same heat gradually sprouting back in my cheeks again. That was stupid on my part I’ll admit it. How in the hell could I forget about that man?

“So you really did like it?” Keith smirked my way.

Mick was oblivious. He was still trying to figure out the strings and wasn’t even looking at me anymore. Just at the damn guitar.

“Yeah. You really know how to play. I was listening and, and you looked so focused and proper and nice. I still can’t remember what song that was but I know for a fact that I will remember that melody”, I showered Keith in compliments. He held back a smile and tilted his head in order to hide it from me but it was no use. I could still see it. And even if I couldn’t his face was growing different shades as did mine. That could have been because of the temperature but I chose to think of it as a sweet gesture. That he was embarrassed by the flattery. Maybe he was, I wasn’t sure, but the quiet wave that washed over the room gave the both of us enough time to awkwardly think it over amongst ourselves. Mick was still oblivious,

I’d already gotten the first impression out of the way. Anything after that would have to match it, conversation would be my savior. I was trying too hard, it felt like. I needed something to take the edge off, something to ease the tension that I felt growing in the room. It was a good thing that I brought some beautiful bottle of white wine.

“…I brought food”, I reached over the counter and grabbed the paper bag that contained what would be on the menu for tonight. The crinkling of the bag acted as a nice substitute in place of the silence and breathing. I started to take out the contents just so that I would have something to keep my hands busy.

“There’s some sandwiches… I think they’re some type of chicken…But they’re from the shop that I work at so they must be good. I eat my meals there all of the time but I haven’t had this one yet”.

I looked back over to the boys after emptying the bag and out onto the countertop who were staring at me, dazed, and I doubt either of them understood my rambling on. ‘Was I speaking Dutch?’ I thought to myself.

“…I brought wine?”

 

We sat on the long sofa, each with a glass of wine to our name. A record was playing on the spindle. Maybe an old blues album or something that sounded like it. Keith was in between Mick and myself and was babbling, drunk about their band’s latest gig at the Marquee Club. Apparently, it was the biggest crowd that they’ve attracted so far of one hundred and two and the band finally grabbed the attention of a manager. Mick chimed in with the occasional slur of “That’s right, yeah”, and “Wasn’t that the…” I listened to the tale, but that was only to hear the sound of his voice. Before any alcohol, Keith’s voice was a scarcity. I wanted him to at least say more than two sentences to me. We were all buzzed now from the fair amounts of alcohol we each consumed but Keith had enough to drown a cow and the rest of us couldn’t keep up even though we tried. “Wait, wait. Lemme tell you guys another story of that time when we, ya know, had a gig”, Mick slurred as he stood up in front of Keith and I. I put my arm around his neck and let Keith rest his head on my shoulder. He chuckled when Mick began his bullshit story about screwing around with Bridget Bardot. I couldn’t help but smile a drunken smile. Not at the story, but at Keith and the fact that he was lying on my shoulder without a care.

Keith was precious. It might have been the alcohol talking but I loved him. I wanted to be with him forever. I put my hand on his lap and in return, he brushed his hand over mine and intertwined his fingers with my own. His other hand reached around my waist and stroked my hair that was tucked behind my ear and flowed down to my backside. His warmth was all I needed to escape from the icy air in the flat. He didn’t seem to mind it, and that was good for now because I wanted him to focus on us and not the bullshit story that Mick had now begun to act out as he went along. Just the two of us.

“We’re going to get married one day”, I told him matter of factly as I rested my head on his. Keith looked at me through his foggy eyes and promptly pecked at my cheek. “Yeah. We’ll marry in the fall”, he laughed, extending his arm to add effect. I laughed too. And as always, Mick was oblivious to the whole thing.


End file.
